What Up with all the HM Bashing?

Today, I'm really struck by something: The sheer amount of heated criticism Hobby Master takes on the chin in the online forums, both here and across the pond. Out of the gate I felt HM got more than it's share of overly critical responses to new product it was putting out in the marketplace. Yet, if you say this...you are a "fanboy" a "cheerleader". Meanwhile, more established companies such as Corgi continue to pump out repaints of the same tired molds with the same tired issues. New players such as Century Wings have helping after helping of praise thrown at them for each new release, despite sharing several of the same gaffs HM and Dragon are loudly chastised for.

It's enough to make one pause and wonder what the hell is going on?

Before I continue I should state that HM does occasionally send me models for review on my site. These are at no charge to me and usually come a few weeks before the model is released stateside. If you think this makes me look more favorably on HM, well, read ALL of my HM reviews. This process is standard practice in the review community, and I've been doing this long enough in my "day job" to not let it sway my opinions. And I buy more than my fair share, too, which my wife will be happy to tell you.

When HM first released it's SBDs and Stukas there was much excitement, but plenty of complaints about the dark panel wash that was used that gave the panel lines too much emphasis. HM has tried a number of experiements to find the right balance here since that time. It has released models with no wash, models with light wash, etc. Yet, invariably, people still complain--loudly--about it.

Meanwhile CW pumps out Tomcats with very, very dark panel lines and those same critics go on and on about how wonderful they are and never mention the lines. These same 'Cats have noticeable gaps in mold join lines, and fiddly bits that are every bit as fiddly as Dragon. Early 'Cats had a wing issue that CW issued a recall for. So what gives? CW has also recently announced a major price bump -- its models will not cost $70-80 each, for a 1:72 model folks. This has caused some rancor, but not much...

The diecast hobby is contracting. Established players such as Dragon and Corgi are scaling back. We've not heard much of anything from Gemini or Eagles or C1 lately. GMP is dead in the water. Corgi is no longer making 1:32. (Where is that working range Graf?) Costs are rising across the board.

To me, HM is one of the most exciting companies to watch. It is trying new things -- 1:72, 1:48, and 1:32 scale models, giving us jets, helos, props, and even tanks -- and it is listening to us, the consumer. They've altered packaging, stands, accessories, and packaging after listening to us. Who else does that?

HM's achille's heel right now is that it is trying to do too much, too fast. Grow too quickly. And the pains from that are passed along to us in the first few releases of a new mold. They've established a routine and yet we continue to have sky-high expectations for new releases and then rant away when they do not live up to our own hype.

Case in point: HM's first 1:32 SBD release. Who else would kick off a new high-end 1:32 line with an SBD? Most other companies would probably go with something safer -- such as a P-51B, Dora, T-bolt, etc. that would appeal more to a mass market. Instead, HM picked a model the hardcore set has been clamoring for in a small production run. So it is listening. Hopefully the lower production runs will continue going forward across all product lines and we wont' have the market over-saturation effect that afflicted the likes of Dragon, rending its models nearly valueless in terms of "collecting value".

This first SBD (which I bought and paid for myself, mind you) has issues: The pilot figures are ridiculously small, the all-metal prop droops pretty badly, and there is no display stand included. These are the big three, and people are screaming about 'em -- including many people who have never seen the model in person, writing it off as a "waste of money". This model does carry a hefty price tag of $150, so granted, QA issues are harder to take.

However, folks, we have a good-looking, well-made 1:32 SBD in the livery of one of the most famous birds of WWII. As with most products -- from the iphone to new cars to diecast models -- early adopters pay for their curiosity and enthusiasm by having to deal with "bugs".

HM at least listens, while diehard Corgi fans continue to buy repaints of some of the most outdated and tired molds in the business. A fixed prop is in the works and will be mailed to everyone that asks for one at no charge -- to me this is the biggest issue and HM is already on it. No, I don't understand why this wasn't caught in the pre-pro stage, but it is being fixed. A stand may also be in the works and I suspect HM may make it an optional accessory or find a way to make it available to those of us that bought the first SBD. Stay tuned there.

The crew, well, the fix there may be on us to come up with. Myself, I plan to display my SBD "parked" so I'll leave 'em out. Hopefully they will scrap 'em and start from scratch with subsequent releases, I don't see how the existing ones can be tweaked. They are just too small. Is HM alone in giving us crappy figures? No -- ever see the pilots in Corgi's 1:32 models up close. They suck just as badly, but are the proper scale. I just despise their clownlike faces... drives me nuts, and they are glued to their seats so you can't remove them without risking damage to your $100 model. At least HM had the sense not to do that.

Should HM's SBD cost less? On the surface I'd say yes -- particularly as it does not have a stand. Nor does it have the nice high-end quality packaging of say, Corgi, that we like to see on a $150 model. However, costs of production have spiked and if CW's 1:72 jets cost $80 is $150 unreasable for such a bigger scale model? Maybe not. And this is a fairly complex model to mass produce with lots of delicate moving parts. And remember, Corgi got out of this space for a reason, which I supsect is rising costs and lower sales and thus, less profits for them.

The price hurt a bit, but I'm happy to have my Midway SBD -- warts and all. And I'm also glad HM left the wash off, but more about that in my review, which I will try to post next week.

Rant over.